On this day in 1955…

Article Posted on Sunday, July 17th, 2011 at 11:39 pm

As a Disney addict, I just couldn’t resist sharing. I love the words of Walt Disney in his short, 30-second dedication speech. I was raised in a Disney-adoring household, and maybe I’m too much of a dreamer, but I’ve always been inspired by the influence one man’s dreams could have on the whole world.

Hello, gorgeous!

Article Posted on Monday, July 11th, 2011 at 11:44 pm

I hope you had a *lovely* weekend! Tonight  I thought I’d share a few things to get your week off on the right foot…

:: Listen ::

While at the beach last week, we picked up this album, and I am totally hooked! Here We Go Again features Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis and Norah Jones (3 legends themselves) celebrating the music of Ray Charles. The album is taken from 2 sold-out nights at the Rose Center recorded in February, 2009, and I swear you can feel the electricity in the concert hall when you listen to it! Get it; you won’t regret it.

:: Read ::

Last weekend we were waiting for our plane to take off having a couple of drinks and reading the Wall Street Journal (him) and the New York Times (me) when I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of this gorgeous illustration. As it turns out, the caricature of Rossini was done in 1867 by Hippolyte Mailly. Anyway, the article was about Rossini’s early retirement, at the age of 37, after premiering his 39th and final opera. Perhaps the part that I found the most interesting, however, was on the last page…

"The idea of art making as a craft, even a job... is foreign to our modern
sensibilities. But our sense of artists as separate from the everyday world,
 engaged in some kind of obscure magic, has made it easier for us to ignore
them and believe that their work is irrelevant to our own, comparatively
ordinary lives. It also relieves us from having to think too hard about
something that mattered a great deal to the shrewd Rossini: compensating
artists fairly for their work." 

Fascinating, no? The writer gives a picture of a world that was changing around the composer and ponders the ability of any artist to separate himself from his work. Read the full story by Zachary Woolfe here on the NYTimes website.

:: Dress ::

As evidenced in the photo above, there is no more chic (or beneficial) accessory in a Belle’s Summer closet than a wide-brimmed hat. I swore by mine at the beach last week. After all, a Belle can never be too cautious when it comes to protecting her complexion!

P.S. I believe this photo is from Anthropologie’s Spring, 2009 catalog.

:: Live ::

Tonight, as on many other nights, we could be found on the front porch sipping cocktails and listening to the stereo. Trust me, it doesn’t get any better than that!

{ Radio source }

Have a *lovely* weekend!

Article Posted on Friday, June 24th, 2011 at 3:00 pm

Want more *lovely* snapshots? Follow my new tumblr : A Belle’s Distractions.

Modern Rococo

Article Posted on Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 at 9:30 am

Yesterday after lunch my friend Kate & I found ourselves in Bliss, my favorite furniture store in Knoxville. They have to be one of the best places around to get inspired, especially if you need to switch up your home a little bit. Anyway, after having spent last night with my nose buried in fashion magazines, I couldn’t help but notice this vase with its playful flourishes as well as a current trend that I am absolutely in *LOVE* with: Modern Rococo.

Rococo is an 18th century style that refers to the late part of the Baroque period where everything became a lot more flirty and playful. It’s one of my very favorite periods in history, and with the world as stressful as it is today I am so happy to see these playful touches sneaking into the artist/fashionista/designer’s vocabulary again. A few lovely examples…

{ Proenza Schouler necklace }

{ Moo Piyasombatkul eyewear }

Also, if you’re in the mood for a little artsy-inspiration, be sure to visit Prada’s website and check out the projects that they are doing with young artists and photographers to coincide with their S/S2011 “Real Fantasies” collection.

{Prada eyewear }

Queen Victoria

Article Posted on Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 at 8:38 am

During all of the wedding hoopla last month, I caught a glimpse of Queen Victoria’s wedding gown on the Today Show. Since yesterday was Victoria Day for our neighbors in Canada and today would have been the Queen’s birthday, I couldn’t resist sharing this pic. Don’t you just adore the floral fabric that’s incorporated into the dress?

Happy President’s Day

Article Posted on Monday, February 21st, 2011 at 7:58 pm

My favorite book of all time is Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell so when I saw this clip, I couldn’t resist sharing it on President’s Day. By the way, how are you celebrating? If you’re looking to mix things up a bit here are a few suggestions from past American political leaders:
~ Dress up as a member of the opposite sex to lounge around and watch TV (or really surprise your mate) tonight. (J. Edgar Hoover)
~ Eat some jelly beans. (Ronald Reagan)
~ Use some Oneida disposable plates or flatware and then read up on the Oneida Community… those people be crazy! (Pres. Garfield’s killer as well as William McKinley’s)
~ Travel with a bust of JFK in your suitcase and see what kind of looks you get in the airport. (I believe it wasthis blogger that said he did just that regularly.)
~ Eat a peanut butter & banana sandwich (Elvis Presley)

Happy President’s Day!
xo~ Hannah B.

A *gorgeous* Inauguration in 1961

Article Posted on Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 6:25 pm

Today, the Life archive posted some rare photos from the 1961 inauguration of JFK, and I was entranced immediately! Perhaps it was because I was so disenchanted with the fashion choices made by Mr. and Mrs. Obama for the State Dinner last night, but today I’ve been thinking again about how I often think I was born in the wrong era. Aren’t these pictures divine? How dapper does the president look in a top hat?! Did you know that Hollywood (namely Frank Sinatra & Peter Lawford–2 of my favorites) threw a big party the night before the inauguration? In fact, during the gala Mr. Kennedy gave a speech that spoke of the “happy relationship between arts & politics” that seems to still be there today. Oh, and Mrs. Kennedy going to the inaugural ball with snow flying all around her gown is really just divine, don’t you think?

I’ve been reading a lot about Jackie lately, and I find her role in the Kennedy White House fascinating so I hope I don’t get too Kennedy crazy. You’ll forgive me, right?

*VJ Day in Waikiki, August 14, 1945*

Article Posted on Saturday, August 14th, 2010 at 10:48 am

Shot by Richard Sullivan‘s father on Kodachrome 16mm film. This beautifully restored film captures the joy felt when the American’s first learned of their victory over Japan. I originally saw the film on A Continuous Lean but after visiting Sullivan’s page, I thought I’d post a link to both so I could have my own record of it in the future.

VJ Day, Honolulu Hawaii, August 14, 1945 from Richard Sullivan on Vimeo

See more beautiful images from this day on Discovering Hawaii. The colors are really stunning! And how much do you *love* those swimsuits?